The first week of moose hunting in the Petersburg, Wrangell and Kake area has seen a harvest of 35 moose. Seven of those moose were illegal kills.
Rich Lowell, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Area Management Biologist, says that those seven did not comply with the existing antler restrictions. And he says it’s cause for concern.
Typically, illegal kills make up about 10 percent of the season harvest but the first week of this season saw twice that. If the trend continues, Lowell says the state might have to close portions of the hunt early.
The antler restrictions are in place to protect younger bulls of a breeding age.
Most of the catches in the first week happened on the Stikine River. Twelve moose were taken there. Nine were killed on Mitkof Island, seven on Kupreanof Island, Five in the Thomas Bay area, one at Virginia Lake near Wrangell and one on Woewodski Island.
If the hunt does continue, it looks like it could be a high harvest year. Thirty-five moose in the first week matches the record year of 2009 when hunters totaled 109 bull moose.
Last year, hunters harvested a neared that record with 106 moose.
The season runs September 15 through October 15. It includes the several units: the Unit 1-B mainland, the Unit 3 islands, and the extreme southern portion of Unit 1-C.